On ide kući s bratom.

He is going home with his brother.

Breakdown of On ide kući s bratom.

• on: he
• ići: to go
• kući: home
• brat: brother
• s: with

Questions & Answers about On ide kući s bratom.

Do I have to say "On," or can I drop the subject?

You can drop it. Croatian usually omits subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person. Ide kući s bratom is fully natural. Keep On if you want emphasis or to avoid ambiguity about who is going.

Why is it kući and not kuću?

• kući is the dative/locative singular of kuća and is used adverbially to mean “(to) home / homeward.” With motion verbs, idem/ideš/ide kući = “I/you/he is going home.”
• kuću is the accusative singular and means “(a/the) house” as a direct object or with a preposition meaning “into the house.”

Examples:

• Vidim kuću. = I see a house.
• Idem kući. = I’m going home.
• Idem u kuću. = I’m going into the house (i.e., entering the building).

Why is there no preposition before kući?

Because kući itself carries the “to home” meaning. For location (not motion), use:

• On je kod kuće. = He is at home.
• Don’t say u kući to mean “at home”; u kući means “in the house (building).”

What case is s bratom, and why?

It’s instrumental singular. The preposition s/sa + instrumental means “with (in company of).”

• Nominative: brat (brother)
• Instrumental: bratom
  So, s bratom = “with (his) brother.”

When do I use s vs sa?

Use s by default. Use sa for easier pronunciation, especially:

• before words starting with s, z, š, ž (e.g., sa ženom);
• before some tricky clusters or certain pronouns (sa mnom, sa njim). Here, both s bratom and sa bratom are acceptable; s bratom is more common.

How do you conjugate ići (“to go”) in the present?

It’s irregular:

• ja idem
• ti ideš
• on/ona/ono ide
• mi idemo
• vi idete
• oni/one/ona idu

Croatian has no separate “-ing” form; the present covers both “go” and “is going.”

Does ide change with gender?

Not in the present. Gender shows up in the past:

• On je išao kući. (he went)
• Ona je išla kući. (she went)
• Dijete je išlo kući. (the child went)

What’s the difference between ići, otići, and poći?

• ići (imperfective): process/habit, neutral “go/going.” — On ide kući.
• otići (perfective): completed departure, “to leave/go off.” — On je otišao kući.
• poći (perfective): “to set off,” often the beginning of a trip or planned start. — On će poći kući.

Could s mean “from,” and how do I avoid confusion?

Yes, s/sa + genitive can mean “from (off of)” (e.g., s krova = from the roof).
In your sentence, bratom is instrumental, so s bratom must mean “with (his) brother,” not “from the brother.”

Whose brother is it? Does s bratom imply “his brother”?

Usually context implies it’s the subject’s brother. To be explicit:

• “with his (own) brother” (subject’s own): sa svojim bratom
• “with his brother” (someone else’s): s njegovim bratom
• “with my/your/her brother”: s mojim/tvojim/njezinim bratom

Can I move s bratom around in the sentence?

Yes, Croatian word order is flexible for emphasis:

• On ide kući s bratom. (neutral)
• On s bratom ide kući. (emphasizes the company)
• S bratom ide kući. (topic = with his brother; subject pronoun dropped) All are grammatical; intonation and context determine nuance.

How do I negate it?

Put ne before the verb: On ne ide kući s bratom. = He isn’t going home with his brother.

How do I pronounce ć in kući?

Ć is a softer “ch”-like sound than č. Approximate kući as “KOO-chee,” but with a softer, shorter “ch.” The s in s bratom is a clear “s,” unless you choose sa for ease.

Is doma a correct alternative to kući?

Yes, in Croatia doma is very common colloquially: Idem doma. Standard and neutral is Idem kući. For location: On je doma ≈ On je kod kuće.

How would I say “with his brothers” (plural), and what’s the plural of “brat”?

The plural is irregular: braća (brothers). Instrumental plural is braćom.

• On ide kući s braćom. = He’s going home with his brothers.